Magic on the Mind
by SuprisinglyMagicallyInclined
Summary: A girl finds magic in her life, and leaves for a witchcraft college in Nevada. She finds friends, enemies, and love; all the while trying to hold onto herself, and find out who that really is. For anyone at a cross roads in life; for anyone who 3's magic
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Discovery

I enjoy long walks to obscure spots along riverbanks, baseball fields, and hot pockets. I also enjoy practicing magic.

I'm sure high school can be a defining time in many people's lives, but it wasn't for me. I hated getting shoved into ordinary classes to learn unnecessary things, when I was not destined for that. Not that I knew anything about my destiny yet; I didn't find out that I was a witch until I was 15 when I exploded a fish tank in my principal's office. I couldn't take another story about how rare and valuable those fish were, 'chubby' the African who-the-fuck-cares. I just wanted to leave the school and leave nothing but destruction behind me, and as soon as the thought passed through my mind I felt a sudden rush, and it shattered.

At first I didn't believe it was me, I thought that god had taken a little break from whatever he does to personally make my life better. I left a soaking wet room and poor fish flopping around the floor to do what any teenager would do in that situation; tell everyone. When I rushed off to tell my friends about it, I realized that I wanted it to me; I wanted to be special and different. I also realized with a deep hidden confession, powerful. So I told everyone that I blew it up, and not surprisingly, they didn't believe me. I had to do something else to prove it, to myself and everyone else. That led to something else and something else, until I blew up the school bus. That's when I got my first letter.

From the address, I was tempted to junk it right away as another stupid college letter, but luckily I decided to open it for the confidence boost. The letter was from the University of Nevada Witch Craft and Wizarding. I reread that about four times too, don't feel bad. Sadly my life was not full of endless possibilities and bright shining horizons, so I, intrigued, read the letter and was blown away. I read about wizards and magic as a child like everyone else in the world, and I too dreamt of that world being real. I rationalized that it could never be true because of this and that; and yet here I am, blowing things up with my mind and will. Vala Burton, my admissions counselor from WCW, also insists that it's not a joke.

I'm graduating from my high school in a week, and though this used to cause anxiety to the point of nausea, now I'm excited like every other college bound youth. The reason I was so nervous was my virtual lack of aspirations and dreams. I didn't have a plan. I didn't ever dream of being a nurse, or a doctor. My life was going nowhere, so I made my decision on a lucky eight ball. Should I go to community college like all my other stoner friends, or should go to Crescent Valley, Nevada to attend a strange, insane school of my dreams? The ball answered yes to little valley. My heart agreed shortly after.

I'm excited to finally take classes that will empower me and change me. I always felt like this world was too normal for me, and so confining. This is my path, this is my future.

When I finally told my parents about WCW I think my dad was honestly just happy that I wanted to go to college, any college. I could have said the University of Pancakes and he would have had to same look of happiness on his face. His low standards didn't surprise me, but they did remind me of all the messing up I had done in the last couple of years. My mother however laughed; loudly and cawingly as if I had made a clever pun.

When the brown owl arrived the next day in my kitchen window, I think she started to believe me and stood by in shock. Sometimes when my mother finally listens to me, she actually understands, and realizes I have made my decision and she should just support me. This was not one of those times. I ignored her yelling and took my letter from the owl's beak. The text on the front of the package was calm and comforting in its soft blue Calibri font. The package inside described several aspects of the school and a list of items to bring. This amazing unknown magical school delivers pamphlets with owls?

When my mother finally calmed down about my decision to become a witch I was packed and had all my luggage piled in the back of the pickup truck. I was headed to the airport to catch a 10pm flight to Crescent Valley, Nevada to begin college, umm my education… or training (whatever you call it.) My mother walked me to the door of the car, and right before I slammed it shut she muttered goodbye, and I stopped. I looked up at her and realized that I would look just like her in twenty years. Tall, thin and narrow faced; with fading freckles still dark enough to see against pale skin and light blue aged eyes. This was my mother; I look like her, feel like her and came from her body. Why did I feel no allegiance?

My father dropped me off at the airport, and I kissed him goodbye. I always loved my father. Though I was my mother physically I was my father emotionally, and intellectually. He always had a book in his hand, he was calm and collected, and more than anything he loved unconditionally. When I said goodbye to him I meant it and I prayed like the neochristian I am; eyes-open, standing-up, and iPod-playing. I prayed that I would have fun in this new life of mine, and I prayed for his life too. I said goodbye to all the people I cared about, and left the place I had always known as I walked onto the plane.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Good morning

I watched the land fly by beneath me, the fields all various shades of black and brown. The sun was setting and yet I could see more clearly in these shades of black and white. I was nearing hysteria because of nerves, and the only thing I could do was review the facts I had learned about WCW. Before I signed my name next to the dotted line, I did some research about this school. Overall, the internet has finally failed me. I searched for Wizarding schools in Nevada, and received nothing legitimate. There was no Nevada or anything like that. So I looked for Crescent Valley, NV instead, and found what I wasn't looking for, naturally. The town is tiny, in the middle of a small valley inhabited by some 500 people. The idea of this small insignificant town holding a university seemed unlikely at best, and when even Google maps couldn't show me the face of my future, I considered giving up the idea altogether.

But something made me go. The logical part of me realized that someone had to have sent the owl. Somebody had gone through the elaborate application process with me, and nobody, even the most hardened pranksters, makes a three month practical joke on a stranger! But more important than the logic of the situation was the little child in me, the little girl who wanted it to be real. I wanted to play with magic again, and feel alive. I don't know when everyone in the world decided that to grow up you must let go of imagination, but I wasn't ready for that yet. I hate to admit that I am obsessed, utterly fixated on it. Magic.

Sometime after noon the plane landed in some big city, but before I could really even see it I was shuffled along to another, much smaller flight. It wasn't until dusk that I could see the rolling mountains of Nevada ahead of me. I couldn't stop thinking about my parents, who I had left, and the people I was about to meet. The only thing I knew was that I was about to go and learn how to control this ability I had. Perhaps I wouldn't be getting a wand, or learning spells, hell I didn't know what I was getting myself into. But I knew that I was going to be in a completely new situation, one where I wouldn't be ashamed of being weird. Perhaps I would even find people there who I could call friends, family, or lover.

During the flight the small plane bounced around on the wind. I sat there impressed because I had never really appreciated just how many millions of things were above our heads. The sky isn't empty, or space that we need to fill. It's already full of little molecules, and all those molecules have weight and substance. I've known that since 6th grade, but I finally learned when my life balanced precariously on those tiny little molecules.

I didn't have many people to talk to, but luckily I had a lot to dream about. I thought about what the school would look like, perhaps a modern skyscraper, because surely gravity held nothing against wizards. Or maybe it was underground, explaining the lack of address; I imagined a secret school where only the talented and beautiful lived. A cold nervousness hit me then; what if I wasn't good enough for this school! I hadn't had any real training and I only had a small amount of control over my powers anyways! I brought my hand up off my lap, and spread my fingers wide. I couldn't tell where the power came from, because my fingers looked just like anyone else's fingers. My face looked just as young and naïve as any other girls; yet I can make things explode. I relaxed my fingers and pointed lazily at my glass of soda, sitting in front of me. Usually I focus on fire, excitement, and other bursts of energy to do my magic. Instead here I was, quiet on a near empty plane, bouncing along in an ocean of molecules and possibilities. I had to be calm, or I would go crazy.

So I thought of home. I thought of my favorite chair; the pond outside my home. I could feel the rush of magic, the familiar feeling of energy flowing through me. I looked at the glass and thought '_move'. _The soda stirred, shifted and when I moved my finger up the soda tilted the glass backwards. Slowly, delicately I brought all my fingers up to meet my pointer and the soda thrashed dangerous before calming. I flexed my fingers and watched the liquid jump. I felt a rush of accomplishment and pride, and turned my head abruptly to see if anyone else was watching my mastery. That's when the soda exploded out the glass, leaving me and the seats around me splattered with cold soda. I muffled my scream against my arm and leaned back into my chair breathing hard. I was terrified somebody would wake up, but as the seconds of silence turned to minutes a smile crept onto my face.

That smile grew into a bubbling laugh, I had done that! I saw that the tips of the mountains were getting closer and watched the ground approach in the night. A calm voice spoke then, and said to 'fasten our seatbelts and prepare for descent'. I grabbed my carryon bag and held it tightly to my chest. I know I looked childish, but I needed that moment of giddy excitement, of silly delight. In an hour I would be at a school for witchcraft and wizardry. Anxiety became excitement in a flash of what can only be called life.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was ominous walking down into the night, the wind blowing surprisingly hard against me. I stared at the woman's shoulders in front of me and tried to remember that only children were afraid of the dark. The night was bright enough that you could see the sparse ground cover (my god were those cactuses!) that made up the landscape. I looked around me at the makeshift airport; it was one small runway, a hanger, a small tower. All of this looked just as deserted as the land surrounding it did. I was getting off the plane with what looked like 15+ people, all of them shuffling off to their business with a single-minded determination.

Fear rose to the back of my throat as I clutched my bags and stood hard against the wind. I was supposed to meet…. Ummm what was her name again? Vala… that was it, Vala Burton. She would take me to the school. All the fears I had quieted rose up in pitch until all I could hear was the screeching of panic. I didn't see anyone in the parking lot. I didn't see anyone else coming from the plane. Nothing. No one. I was stuck in a deserted town at a murderous airport!

As this thought torn its way through my psyche, a hand grabbed my shoulder. I turned with the fury of a cat with a bruised tail, and I'm amazing to this day that she dodged my roundhouse punch. But Vala stood there smiling benignly, and removed her hand. I looked at her in irrational fear, hands and legs ready to fight for my life. Then I realized; I just tried to hit an old lady!

"Hello my dear. Are you Jesse?" the woman said, her voice dripping with calm and sympathy

"Umm yes ma'am. I'm so sorry I just didn't see you there, please forgive me if I hurt you, I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry…." I let my voice trail away to a murmur, and I knew there would be hell to pay. I wanted nothing more than to run back on the plane and go home. But when I looked back up from in between my shoes I saw that the woman was walking away!

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" I ran to catch up with her, my voice getting carried with the wind, "Please, can you, just, stop!" I was running to stop her but she was walking so fast! I reached out with my hand and grabbed her shoulder to slow her.

That's when she flipped around and her fist collided with my right cheek. I flew to the side and hit the ground hard. I sat up slowly, dazed. I opened my eyes and saw the old woman crouching next to me, her eyes and mouth smiling at me.

"The first and most important thing you need to learn about magic is that things must always be balanced. When you see an imbalance, it is your duty to correct it. Whereas before you owed me something and gave me too many apologies in payment, now I have evened the scales. The point is not to hurt, or to heal. It's to harmonize. I hope you understand child." She ended with a huge smile and a nod, like someone who had shown you were the bathroom was will.

"Ok Jesse, I hope it's not just me, but its feeling a bit too windy for me! Would you mind if we continued to the campus now? I'm sure you're anxious to see your new school too!" She stood up easily, and held out a thin hand

I'm not going to lie and say that I was less afraid of her because of her smile, but there was a quiet strength that made me trust her. I was sitting on the ground, my bags scattered around me, and my right cheek hurt like a bitch. But somehow that little old woman had completely won my heart. I smiled at her and grabbed her hand.

"Thank you….Vala?" I gathered my things and my wits together and started walking with the woman

"Yes. Vala Burton, pleased to meet you." Her famous smile flashed again

"Well thank you for picking me up, I pretty much have no idea where I'm going…"

"No problem Jesse. We get tons of muggle-borns at WCW and we have a program to help you adjust to the new environment, well world really. That's why you are here a few weeks early darling!"

"Umm.. Where are we going?  
As we had been walking she had taken several calculated lefts and rights, walking along decidedly….into nowhere. We had walked away from the airport, but not towards the roads or lights of the small town, towards the wilderness.

"Oh don't worry, we'll be there momentarily."

I rolled my eyes, why won't she just explain! I bet there are jackals and wolves and bears out here but there's definitely not a school in the next few miles! I could see that far! Vala continued to rattle off things about the weather and some sports team I had never heard of, and it was a good sound, and it made the empty sounds of the night a lot less powerful. She seemed to have no problem picking out her path and was comfortable wandering around in the wilderness at night.

"….and we should be getting a whole new wing put in this year, for the crafters! They'll be pleased, and hopefully finally contented! It's a lot of effort for a small group though- oh Jesse, we're here!"

I looked up (trying not to trip in the dark takes a lot of attention) and still saw nothing. Then I saw sunshine behind a curtain, and watched Vala lift her hand and push the curtain aside. The landscape rippled from ground to the stars and I saw Vala walk through the gap onto fresh green grass. She paused by the portal, and smiled at me, ushering me through.

I stood there half confused, half terrified. My limbs felt cold and I could hardly believe that this woman had just opened up the sky. But I knew her smile, and when your among the unknown and terrifying, you follow the familiar to your death. I stepped through the gap, and my feet sunk softly into the few inches of grass. The sunlight hit my face and warmed me instantly, and the light wind played with my hair. I turned around to watch the curtain of reality fall back into place, and I exploring put out my arm towards it. Yup, as I thought, the world was whole and perfect again. As I turned back around to ask Vala what had just happened, I finally saw the huge building in my view. My breath caught in my chest and I just stared. It was beautiful.


End file.
